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Right my mother in law is 70 at the beginning of July. Her 1993 Metro is close to expiry and her children (including my wife) want to club in £1250 each to buy her a new car. She lives in Farnham, has a small garage and only uses the car around town with an occassional run up to Oxford. Max mileage 4000 per year. She has never had a new car and the family would like to get her something reliable and with PAS. Any ideas? Thanks
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Panda?
My son's 1.2 Dynamic is 9 months old, 5,000m, so far so good. It is a pleasure to drive. Air conditioning would be nice, otherwise it's perfect.
I think the Active can probably be had for close to £5,000.
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Panda 5 door Active 1.1 in £5955 with a/c and power steering - this is What Car's target price; it actually lists quite a bit over £7K. I couldn't find a 3 door price but if there is one it should be about £300 cheaper.
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No 3 doors, all 5.
fiatsupasaver.com is advertising the Active for £5198, aircon extra .
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Broadspeed.com are advertising Panda 1.1's for £4995.
Surely this must be the cheapest half decent new car going.
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A Panda makes sense - I wonder if this is to be a surprise birthday present or whether she gets to choose. Her ancient Metro suggests she may be patriotic: Farnham is my original home town and it's full of fiercely patriotic souls including my mum (88 not out) who had to be reassured that SWMBO's Honda was made in Swindon....
If she is of that persuasion a Ford Ka might be an idea - like supermarket honey, it's from more than one country. You might even get a new one for £5,000 if there are special deals going. They are great fun to drive and a bit livelier than a Panda.
If she is dubious about the looks of a Ka or Panda than a nearly-new Fiesta might be a better bet.
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We all know that nearly new is going to give a much bigger selection of cars, at the price quoted, but the OP is clear that the whole plan is to buy a new car, presumably for the pleasure of having a new one for the first time in this lucky lady's life
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The Ka is only a 3-door, and I'm not sure that a 3-door car is a good idea for someone of that age.
Disadvantages of a 3-door:
* In a car park, you can't open the door as far before you hit the car beside you
* You have to reach back behind the line of the seatback to get the seatbelt
* the door is heavier and harder to handle
* If you're not very agile, putting shopping on the back seat is easy if you have 5 doors, but very difficult with three.
Five doors=much better
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If it absolutely, positively has to be brand new (rather than say, a year or two old) then your options are
Chevy Matiz;
A heavily discounted Chevy Kalos (look on the Trader);
Fiat Panda;
Ford Ka;
Kia Picanto;
Suzuki Alto (but you wouldn't);
Vauxhall Agila (pre-registered on the Trader again).
I'm not sure about the Kalos - its running costs might be a little higher although it may not be a problem - but it's definitely the most substantial car.
My personal preference would be Panda-Picanto-Ka.
If she wants something British-built then I'd suggest a lightly used Micra over a 206 or a Rover 25.
Of the rest, the Ka is probably Spanish-built (but may come from elsewhere), the Agila is built in Hungary and of course the dire City Rover was built in India, so she's not exactly supporting any UK jobs.
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From the few thousand miles that i have driven them as hire cars it would have to be the Kia Picanto,every time,no contest.Dealers are small enough to care if you have a problem,warranties are good,the car is very easy to drive.Car as white goods,it does what it says on the tin.
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Thanks for this. Three doors are fine but needs to be quite small so Chevy Kalos although tempting is too big. So far a Ka seems the best bet.
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- Panda. For "older" drivers it has a super-light electric power steering for car parks and cities, and it's taller driving position makes it much easier to get in and out of.
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We are not great Fiat fans here as sis in law has had a dreadful experience with a 2001 Fiat Punto that developed an appetite for coils and eventually ecus at below 40k miles.
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>>I'm not sure that a 3-door car is a good idea for someone of that age.
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And someone who is more likely to loose some agility * In a car park, you can't open the door as far before you hit the car beside you
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Or in your garage* You have to reach back behind the line of the seatback to get the seatbelt
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Also a problem if agility wanes.
What dealerships are in the Farnham area?
At that mileage it would only be a yearly event for ROUTINE service but if any problems occur then a local dealer is a bonus.
As I commented on another thread my nearest Fiat dealer to Kingston is a long way. a
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No point in comparing the brillian new Panda with an old Punto...
My mum, aged 74, has driven a Panda (Dynamic SkyDome)for two years and really loves it. Only done about 12000 miles but she has had no complaints about it (although she did have a bit of trouble with the locking petrol cap!) whatsoever. Highly recommended.
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Second the vote for the picanto
friend has done 40,000 miles in a calender year in one.
Still feels and looks like new.
servicing and spares seem cheap.
has not missed a beat and local dealer even touches up stonechips on each service!
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Agreed,I have owned/driven all kinds of cars and if i was spending my own hard earned it would have to be the Picanto.
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Second the vote for the picanto... has not missed a beat and local dealer even touches up stonechips on each service!
Good grief - I've never heard of that before! Where is that dealer? I want to buy a Picanto from them.
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